Improvement in the ianufaotuee of bails oe eods of ieof oe steel



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BERNARD LAUTH, OF READING,- PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNOR "TO HIMSELF AND JAMES MOCARTY, OF SAME PLACE. Letters Patent No. 62,758,.clated Mrck 1 2, 1867; cntedated September 2, 1866.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BARS 0R RODS OF IRON 0R STEEL.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, BERNARD LAUTH, of Reading, Berks county, Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in the Manufacture of Bar Iron and Steel; and I do hereby declare the following to he a. full, clear, and exact description of the same. I

My invention consists others or" malleable iron and steel, treated substantially in the manner described hereafter, so that they may have a perfectlysniooth and polished surface which willnot be oxidized-by exposure.

In order to enable others skilled-in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed 'to describe its construction and operation.

I take an ordinary bar of malleable iron in its usual merchantuhle state and-remove the oxide from its surface by thcapplicati on of diluted acid, which is Subsequently washed from the bar hyvallcaline solutions, a Well-known process, and one commonly adopted when it is desirable to remove rust and other matter from the surface of malleable iron preparatory to imparting a tin surface to the same. After the bar has been thus prepared I proceed to cover its entire surface with oil. I have found that ordinary petroleum will serve the desired purpose, and that its efficiency is enhanced by'niixing with it a. small quantity of Wood ashes. I either apply the oil to the surface of the bar or immerse the latter into a. bath of the oil, after which the roost impur taut bra-nah of the process has to he prosecuted. 'A muflled furnace is so prepared that a uniform, or nearly uniform, heat maybe maintained within-it, andinto this furnace the bar is placed, and care taken that too great a heat. is not imparted to it, for on this depends the success of the operation. -When the bar approaches a red heat, or when the redness is justperceptible, it is a certain indication that the proper degree of heat has been attained, and a certain guidance for the operator to remove the bar from the furnace, for a. greater heat would induce the formation on the surface of the bar of scales of oxide of iron, which would efi'ectually frustrate the attainment of the desired result. The bar on its removal from the furnace is at once subjected to the action of finishing rolls, the grooves of which have been carefully prepared.v After the bar has been passed between the rolls from four to six times the desired effect will have been attained, the her having a uniform surface, as though it had been turned ina lathe, and that surface being of the smooth, polished, and dark character similar to that of Russian sheet iron. ,Bars thus treated possess two most important advantages over bars hitherto manufactured: first, they are so perfectly round and smooth that, after being subjected to theection of a. proper straightening machine, they can be used for shafting, piston-rods, and other like purposes, Without resorting to the" costly preparatory process of turning and polishing; second, the bars willnot rust when exposed to the atmosphere, hence the uniform smoothness of" their surfaces is preserved undercircumstances which would affect the appearance and quality of ordinary bar iron. Steel bars can be treated with the best results in the manner nliovc dcscrihmh l I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, as a new manufacture- Bars ot' 'malleahie iron or steel treated substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

In testimony wherool'I have signed my naine to this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

BERNARD LAUTH.

Witnesses;

WM. B. Scuonmsa, Jnc. M. SALLAD; 

